UMNO's yin-yang candidates for Batu Talam?

What did I tell!

Note it’s not an interrogative query but an exclamation of satisfaction.

Remember in my Saturday posting Why UMNO is worried about PAS' boycott of Batu Talam I remarked that UMNO doesn’t want an unopposed victory in Batu Talam. It craves for a competitive victory over a PAS or PKR candidate, preferably PAS (obviously after 'assessing' carefully it will win).

I gave the reason as AAB and UMNO party itself currently suffering from such bad publicity and serious unpopularity, that they badly need an uplifting shot in their arms, indeed very desperately, in the form of a combative victory over a visible opponent. UMNO hopes the blood of the loser a la Roman circus would have a carry-forward influencing effect into the coming general election.

As I commented, a win in an opposition-boycotted by-election would be, given the circumstance, a hollow victory that would taste like kucing kurap (cat) piss in a victory toast. And then, the Malaysian public would probably say the walkover victory was fixed.

Therefore the walkover would add on to the rotten image UMNO now has.

That has been why UMNO has been raving and ranting about the opposition denying the voters of Batu Talam a 'democratic choice'. Such an unheard-of and unbelievable UMNO protestation is like the Israelis insisting on sovereign statehood for the Palestinians, or George Bush demanding the Israelis respect the democratically elected Hamas government.

I wrote that “UMNO might even feel it necessary, nay, vital to put up an ‘independent’ (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) or a former PAS or former PKR bloke to contest?”

Then there were reports that UMNO had said that a DAP member, an Indian bloke and 5 others purchased around 7 nomination forms, and that PAS is putting up one of its members as an ‘independent’ candidate in the by-election.

PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa has come out to assert in no uncertain terms that it is definitely boycotting the by-election and emphatically denied the UMNO allegation, that it will secretly endorse an independent candidate for the by-election.

Meanwhile, malaysiakini reported what KTemoc had predicted, that UMNO is allegedly ‘making arrangements’ to field an independent candidate so that the by-election can proceed.

Remember my “UMNO killing two birds with one ‘independent’ stone” in Why UMNO is worried about PAS' boycott of Batu Talam?

PAS’ Nasharuddin also informed us he received information about a planned sabotage-sandiwara during the nomination process tomorrow by a ‘group of people’ that he in virtuous discretion refused to identify.

He said: “We heard from sources that the group will be going to the nomination centre with PAS flags and logos. We have to state it clearly in advance that we are not responsible for any such action.”

Either he is pre-empting any accusation against PAS or he was making pre-emptive excuses for PAS. But in this case, I believe him.

Times are desperate, and it’s not only the MCA on Operation Clawback.

Note: 'yin-yang' are two opposing but complementary forces